News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by throwaway2077 on Sunday November 07, 2021 @07:24AM (#29138851)
is that a normal experience in all of the US or only certain states? sounds all kinds of fucked up. the random passerby ratting you out. cops showing up over a handgun, which as far as I know are legal to own in all states unless you're a felon. doesn't sound like land of the free at all.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by jimnotgym on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:11AM (#29139170)
I'm in the UK, should have said. There are almost no authorised civilian uses of handguns in the UK since the Dunblane shooting. I think you can have one for humane despatch of deer (subject to extraordinary proof of need), but that is all.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre

Re:Things I would like to 3D print by dTal on Sunday November 07, 2021 @09:51AM (#29139859)
>I'm in the UK, should have said

No. Fight the American default!

Re:Things I would like to 3D print by milliondollar on Sunday November 07, 2021 @07:30AM (#29138887)
Don't think op is in US. Nobody would say "phone engineer" in the states.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by OJFord on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:59AM (#29139482)
I'm also (as well as OP) in the UK, but mildly disappointed to read it on HN. Bit of a pet peeve of mine (as a capital E Engineer I suppose) the absurd things we accept having 'engineers' sent out for, things that are barely even trades.

I had a dishwasher engineer fit a replacement plastic piece where you put the tablet; a quote for an oven engineer to replace the glass door.

That sort of ridiculousness makes me more sympathetic to bonafide tradesmen using the term (or rather having it used about them by customer services) - boiler engineers, ISPs' 'engineer visit' to set up a new line, etc. - despite that probably being what started my peeve initially!

I don't know how widespread it is, I know in Germany for example it's a protected term. In Canada I think if unqualified (i.e. not 'software engineer' or 'boiler engineer', but just 'Engineer') it is too. We have chartered institutions that can bestow 'CEng', but it doesn't affect whether or not you're allowed to be called 'an engineer' or anything.

(This whole comment probably makes it sound like I'm a lot more annoyed by it than I am.. I just mean it's sort of 'heh ok sure' chuckle/eyeroll when they say it. Like if it started to be normal to refer to pharmacists/nurses/phlebotomists as 'dispensing/assisting/blood-taking doctors' I suppose.)

Re:Things I would like to 3D print by jimnotgym on Sunday November 07, 2021 @09:42AM (#29139778)
Perhaps we have it backwards. I'm in the UK. If I saw a company that did 'engineering' I would expect to walk in and see someone at a lathe. I work in the West Midlands a lot and this is especially true.

An engineer may drive a train or maintain ships propulsion in the English speaking world.

A Civil Engineering company builds roads and bridges, and may not have any Chartered Engineers on the staff.

I know several people who design electronics for a living, have degrees in the same subject and call themselves 'Electronic Engineer', yet becoming CEng would never cross their mind. Whereas if you wanted to become a structural engineer you would likely have to become chartered.

I have never met a Chartered network engineer, yet what else would a CCNA call themselves?

Never mind the software engineers and Devops engineers...

Perhaps the Chartered Engineers should have found their own term rather than adopt a general one and then get sniffy about other uses? I know the Chartered Institutes have been around a long time but the term 'Engineer' predates them by some years.

Re:Things I would like to 3D print by OJFord on Sunday November 07, 2021 @11:09AM (#29140603)
Yeah, maybe. But that's what I mean about 'barely even a trade' - takes a lot more know-how to operate a lathe (per your example) than to do a lot of the 'handyman' type jobs that we get told 'an engineer' will be sent out for.

Fwiw I'm not CEng, EE by degree, but work in SE. I'd like the IET & chartership to be more relevant for SE, but all I meant by that was that we have it, but don't (as some other countries do) require it or something like it in order to use the term 'engineer'.

Re:Things I would like to 3D print by OJFord on Monday November 08, 2021 @05:23AM (#29147855)
I was reminded on the tube this morning that this same sort of thing gives us TfL's 'Network Presentation Team' - née 'cleaners'.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by wellthisisgreat on Sunday November 07, 2021 @10:55AM (#29140472)
I thought wow some guest working at Apple snitched on your kids?
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by Yajirobe on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:07AM (#29139140)
Come on, this sort of cop behavior is limited to the US
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by jimnotgym on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:17AM (#29139211)
Not at all, as I mentioned above I am in the UK. It is hard to get our police to react to anything...but any mention of firearms gets them excited. Interestingly I thought the phone engineer was more of a dick than the coppers.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by rubyn00bie on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:17AM (#29139210)
That’s easily the most naive thing I’ll read today.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by marcellus23 on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:35AM (#29139331)
Lol you’ve been shown to be wrong by the original commenter. Get your head out of your ass.
Re:Things I would like to 3D print by chromatin on Sunday November 07, 2021 @08:09AM (#29139162)
Story was not from the US as there is no “section 1” prohibited firearms. Maybe Canada?